Masayuki Mochizuki

It's purely gambling.

I don't see any good in that.

But if you're talking about backgammon, or to some extent also poker...

or to some extent also sports betting, where you can get an informational advantage.

You can analyze the game in a way that is better than the market, or even when you see the rise now of the prediction market sites.

So I do see that as a virtue more than a vice, that again, hard work is rewarded.

There's instant negative feedback on your bad decisions.

You harden your personality and your mental abilities to deal with stress and misfortune.

We've played backgammon or a similar variant basically as long as we've had dice.

It has that advantage over other games that it simply evolved into this perfect equilibrium style of game where it's not too long, it's not too short.

It has the right amount of luck to skill ratio.

It's just a very balanced and perfect game.

Backgammon is indeed one of the oldest games in the world.

In various forms, it has been played continuously in the Middle East since 3000 BCE.

During the Crusades, it became a popular gambling game in Europe.

Richard the Lionheart of England and Philip II of France issued a joint order banning the game for low-ranking soldiers.

Dan Rather, in a 1978 piece for 60 Minutes, rattled off these and many other backgammon facts as he discussed the rising popularity of the game.

That is Bob Wachtell, my partner at the Los Angeles meetup.

Wachtell got a Ph.D.

in philosophy, but as a profession, he chose gambling.